A Moment in Time
by Feyla
Summary: A short piece in which Remus is melancholy, Peter is wet, and Lily says yes.


Title: A Moment in Time

Rating: G

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the characters. They all belong to JK Rowling (except for Maggie Barnes)!

Notes: This is something that I wrote about a year ago and have revised several times since then. I wanted more to go with it, but I never got around to writing anything else. If you like it though, please tell me in your review so I'll know if anyone is actually interested in this. If I have some motivation I might just get around to writing more. Right now I'm busy on other things though. I know this isn't the best piece of writing you'll ever read, but please do leave a review to let me know what you thought of it!

**A Moment in Time**

Remus was again on speaking terms with Sirius, but he still had not completely come to terms with Sirius' betrayal. His best friend had given one the people who hated him most in the school the key to finding out his deepest secret. It was hard to come to terms with, even a few months later. They were speaking, yes, but there were still some times when it got to Remus. Days like to today when Sirius had been taunting Snape. It had not escalated to the point that it once would have, but it reminded him of when Sirius had let it go too far. On days like today when the full moon was near and he was feeling tired, Remus was much more susceptible to melancholy thoughts such as the ones he was now experiencing.

_Why doesn't he think before he does things? He never even thinks of the consequences that his actions might have. He just dives in headfirst. Heaven help anyone caught up in the collateral damage. Anyone else I could just hate for the rest of my life, or never talk to again, but of course it couldn't be someone else. Who else would have known? Of course it would have to be one of my best friends. He's an impulsive person and he always has been. He just doesn't think! _

_It's going to get him killed one day. _

_And I don't know that I could handle that. _

Behind him, he heard the door open and someone quietly enter the room.

"Remus? Are you in here?"

He looked up at the sound of Sirius' voice.

_Speak of the devil. _

"Moony what are you doing sitting in the dark?I know you can see just fine in the dark, but I didn't think you could read in it."

Remus sighed as he heard Sirius whisper _lumos_ and the previously dark room was illuminated. "I was just thinking Sirius. You don't need light for that."

He looked at Sirius, the object of his most recent thoughts. His long black hair was neatly tied back, which meant that he had probably been working. Remus would like to think that it had been on an essay or some other bit of homework, but he knew the chances of that were slim. Most likely he had been working on something with James, probably the Map. Sirius usually tied it back when he was working to keep it out of his face. His hair probably wouldn't stay the length it was now for much longer; Sirius would never cut it as short as James' that would please his mother too much. She didn't like how he let his hair get so long and shaggy, and so he hardly ever had it cut.

"Well then what were you thinking about? In my experience I usually sit in dark rooms to think when my thought are particularly dark and I'm feeling rather depressed." Sirius came to sit beside Remus on the bed, a worried look on his face, but as he sat down Remus stood up. Sirius carefully surveyed his friend, seeing the tired look in his eyes and knowing it was because the full moon was near. The full moon had probably brought on this bout of melancholy.

"Nothing worth worrying about. Nothing you need to concern yourself with Padfoot." Remus started to walk towards the door, leaving Sirius sitting on the bed. "Come on, I know you're hungry and it's almost time for dinner. Let's go find James and Peter and go down to eat."

Sirius didn't argue with his friend, but he wasn't going to let this go away. Remus was just trying to distract him he knew, trying to make him forget that he'd just found one of his best friend in a dark room by himself, thinking dark thoughts. Whatever Remus was hiding would come out in time, if it was something more serious than dark thoughts amplified by the imminent full moon.

Remus was a very private person, nothing at all like himself or James. Whereas they would spit out their problems, Remus would keep his to himself. Usually James, Sirius, or both of them would have to force him to talk about what was troubling him. Now was not the time to brood about Remus' dark thoughts though, it was time for dinner and he was hungry. Sirius stood up and walked to the door, Remus following behind him as he exited.

On their way down from the seventh year boys' dormitory, they passed Peter, who was going up to change. His robes were dripping wet and his pale blond hair was plastered to his head. Standing on the step above them made Peter feel taller when in actuality he was shorter than both Sirius and Remus. He was the shortest in their group of four, but James wasn't much taller, which was a relief and Peter tried not to think about the fact that he was the largest of the four. While all four had hearty appetites, they were teenage boys after all, his friends had always stayed slim, and he had no such luck. He was an active boy but his genes just wouldn't let him look athletic like James or slim like Sirius. He didn't let Remus' toned physique bother him though, there was no such thing as a fat werewolf. Peter sighed as he pushed away those thoughts and waited for the inquiry that was sure to come.

Sirius' couldn't contain his smile as he questioned Peter. "What happened to you Wormtail? You look like a drowned rat." Sirius smiled even broader as he questioned Peter, he liked to think of himself as the master of puns.

Remus was somewhat more sympathetic, but couldn't contain his own smile. "Didn't fall into the lake again did you?"

Peter shuddered remembering last week when he had fallen into the lake. Actually, last week when he had asked Maggie Barnes out and she had replied by dumping him into the lake. That still hadn't beaten any one of James' many refusals by Lily Evans. She had done just about everything imaginable to James, but he still wouldn't take no for an answer. Ever since James had backed off this year though, they didn't have any of his magnificent refusals to surpass Peter's impromptu dumping in the lake.

"No it's pouring outside, haven't you two been paying any attention to the weather? I had to go make up that Herbology assignment I missed last week and by the time Harrison let me go, it was pouring. I think she was waiting for it to start raining before she let me go."

Now Sirius and Remus both gave him sympathetic looks, no one liked old Professor Harrison; she was such a stuffy old lady. Remus turned to continue down the stairs while Sirius comforted Peter, "We'll think of something to get her back next class okay? Go on, get changed, and get back down here quick. It's time to eat and we won't wait for you forever!"

Peter mumbled a quick reply and hurried up the stairs to change. He was notorious in their dorm for taking the longest to get ready and Sirius wasn't kidding. He wouldn't let Peter stand between him and food for too long.

While Peter was changing, Sirius and Remus looked around the common room for James. It was practically empty since it was dinner time, but there were still a few people lounging about the room. James had been working on a Potions essay earlier, but must have finished it since he was no longer in the corner, his favorite place to work. They went closer to the fire and found him reading a book in one of the overstuffed armchairs. James' reading wasn't surprising in itself, but James working on a Potions essay and then picking up some random book for pleasure was. A good student James might be, but a studious one he was not. True, James was better about doing his work now than he used to be, but it still wasn't normal for him to spend a whole afternoon on school work. As they approached, he looked up from his reading.

He smiled at them before asking if it was time for dinner and then answering his own question with, "If Sirius is here it must be time for dinner. It doesn't seem like I've been down here that long though."

Remus and Sirius looked at one another, disbelief evident on their faces. This was extremely un-James like behavior.

Sirius went closer and looked James in the eye, making sure he was talking to James and not some imposter. "Prongs are you alright?" He paused to look at the book James was holding, and after a moment turned it right side up.

"First there's reading in the dark and now reading upside down! What is going on today?"

Remus laughed at Sirius' comment and James' confused face. He came up beside Sirius to see what James had been reading, or at least attempting to read. "_Hogwarts, A History_ James? What has gotten into you?" he asked.

Something was definitely up; James would normally never be caught reading the book that only the most studious of students in the school ever picked up.

"James you do know it's a Saturday?" Sirius asked.

James nodded.

"And that you are reading _Hogwarts, A History_? Upside down may I add?"

Another nod.

"Lily recommended it."

Sirius snorted and glanced at Remus before answering. "Well that explains everything. But I wouldn't think that Lily would recommend reading it upside down."

James stared back at them blankly. They could tell that they weren't getting through to him. Something must have happened to put James in such a daze as the one he was in now.

"Okay James how about you tell us what happened?" Remus asked him.

"She said yes."

Remus and Sirius looked at each other, this time in puzzlement. Contrary to popular belief they did not always know what each other was thinking and they could not communicate telepathically. James had been refraining from talking to Lily lately, hoping that by backing off she would take a second look at him. He hadn't mentioned anything to them about renewing his attentions though, and they were usually kept up to date on anything to do with Lily.

"She said yes to what James?" Sirius asked.

James was silent for a moment. Remus and Sirius had no idea of what the question had been, and one could never be sure with James. Last year it would have been most likely that he had asked her to go to Hogsmeade with him, but they were in the dark now. Of course Lily saying yes to anything dealing with James was reason enough for his catatonic state. He could have just asked her if he could borrow a spare quill or if she was going to the quidditch game next week.

The most brilliant smile lit up James' face as he answered, "I asked her to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend. And she said yes."

Sirius and Remus looked at each other for the third time, this time shocked. Sirius recovered first, smiled and slapped James on the shoulder. "So she finally said yes! Lily Evans finally agreed to go out with you." None of them could keep the smiles from their faces now.

"Just don't make a big deal out of it please? I don't want her to change her mind, and if you make a big deal out of it Padfoot she might decide she doesn't want to go after all." James couldn't keep the plaintive tone from his voice. Lily was finally giving him a chance and he didn't want anything to mess it up.

"Me? Make a big deal out of the fact that the girl you've been asking out for the past two years finally said yes? I would never Prongs. How dare you say such a thing! And why didn't you tell Remus that too? He could go throw a party and tell the whole school now." Sirius said as he pretended to be offended with James' request.

"Sirius" Remus put a hand on Sirius' shoulder to stop him. "You are exactly the person who would make a big deal out of it. James knows that I wouldn't which is why he didn't tell me that. _You're_ the one who would throw a party and tell the whole school."

Sirius' shoulders slumped in mock defeat, but he didn't get a chance to reply because just at that moment a dry Peter walked up.

Having overheard the comment about the party he couldn't help asking who it was for. He was a curious person after all. But Sirius ignored the question in favor of his stomach.

"Ah! Wormtail is finally here. Now we can go eat!" And with that statement, Sirius took off towards the Portrait hole. Remus gave James a hand up since he was still somewhat in a state of shock and then put an arm around Peter who was staring after Sirius. He took pity on his confused friend and decided he should explain the recent developments to him.

"Well Peter, James has some big news he has just shared with us." A quick glance at James told Remus that he was following, so he steered Peter towards the portrait hole and filled him in on the latest Lily happening.


End file.
